the Recruit
by cvibesdoho
Summary: Life as a thief is good. You can have fun. Fight guards. Pick pockets. It all changes when an assassin saves me from a guard. A few tense battles later, I am an apprentice Assassin. Killing Templars is fun too... Eventual OCxOC. Contains Italian swearing.
1. 1,1

_A/N: Redid the chapter, think it is a lot better now. Not too many changes, but more logical. Sorry for the lack of updates, been reaaalllyyy busy._

Rome. It had seem better times. First, the Borgia took over, and then stories of hooded murderers had started to surface. And, being the small-time thief I am, did not want to get caught in the conflict. The only thing that matters, is me getting enough money to feed myself.

The art of pickpocketing isn't actually that difficult, maybe it is because La Volpe is a good teacher. I never knew my family, and that didn't exactly open a window of opportunity to get better jobs. It was simple: male - thief. Female - courtesan. One of the latter was my target. Volpe had tasked me with stealing Flora Cavazza's pouch. Easy. Not so easy stealing from her sister, Fiora, but this case - cakewalk.

I neared the marketplace. It was busy, as always. Hope that those crazy hooded murderers don't come. The first shop, entitled "Mercante D'arte", a very original name in fact, had a man carrying paintings into the shop. And I just couldn't help but see a nice little, partially hanging pouch. I drew my dagger and walked behind him. I waited a few seconds, until he was putting the paintings down and then quickly sliced the single thread that was holding his wallet. I laughed quietly and walked away, into a secluded courtyard. The pouch seemed heavy. I emptied it onto my palm and counted it together. Not too bad at all. 120 florins richer than before.

Now for the target. I scaled the wall and admired the view. Nothing to say, the place still looks pretty good. I found the marketplace quickly and sat on a roof edge. Volpe had said that the target looked like her sister, wore a strange, white outfit, as she were one of the strange killers, and a bit less cat-like features than Fiora. I silently observed the crowd, ready to escape at the slightest sign of danger.

"Thief! Get him!" I heard a guard shout behind me. I pulled my feet up in one swift motion and got ready to make a run for it, but a blade touched my throat.

Someone grabbed me from behind and whispered in an evil voice: "Got you now, thieving bastardo."

Cazzo!

I felt something sticky and warm spill on the back of my neck, but kept still. The captor released me, but a second later another pair of hands grabbed me, a bit softer and thinner than the ones earlier.

"Pleasure to meet you. Who were you again?" I ask, in a sarcastic tone.

"None of your business. Just noticed a thief in need of aid. And no, I'm not a thief myself. Assassin."

"Okay… but why the stranglehold?"

"Oh, sorry."

She then started to move away and I followed.

"Ah... so, you got any reason or are you just following me around?" she asked, a bit annoyedly.

"Just following. Not much to do."

"...Right."

I continued tracking her and managed to move closer and closer, until her pouch was right next to me. I slided out my dagger and sliced the bag. She must've heard something though, as she turned towards me, froze for a second, and tackled me.

"Nice try," she said in a dry tone.

"La Volpe's orders, not mine."

"I'm going to have the Gra- I mean, someone, talk to him about it."

"Can I come along? Don't want any more guards on my tail."

"Umm... okay. But don't try anything. I got my eye on you," she ended the conversation.


	2. 1,2

_A/N: As you may have noticed, I've done some changes to the fic on 05.05.11 so chapters 1 and 2 are changed. But I messed up and had to remove every chapter. Sorry :I_

"Here's a horse, jump on," she instructed and our horses started moving in a slow trot.

"So, who are you?" I tried to strike up a conversation.

"None of your business."

"Why were the guards after you?"

"Killed some corrupt bastardi."

"You don't talk much."

"I'm an assassin, not a templar."

"So it's true?"

"What exactly?"

"That the assassins are not just rumours."

"You could say that. Now be quiet for a second, there's a guard post up ahead." The horse slowed down from it's trot and stopped.

Flora got off and approached the leader of the guards. They were blocking the road, an inspection.

"Pay us, or you won't get past. You don't have to give money," a guard said in a sly voice. Flora spat on him.

"Cagna!" (b***h) the guardia screamed in disgust, "Boys, lets make the little whore pay!"

Four soldiers moved onto a single, seemingly defenseless girl. In half a second she pulled out her fan and slit a guard's throat and punched another in the face.

"Dannazione," I silently sweared, "Archers! Look out!"

I saw an archer target my head. I dodged the best I could with tied hands and on a horse. Tense seconds passed, and the bowman took the shot. I felt the arrow narrowly missing my stomach and hitting somewhere near my hand.

I jumped off the horse and sprinted towards the building. At the same time, I heard more guards joining the fight. Going to get tough for her. I wall-runned up and pulled myself to the roof. The first bowman was right next to me. Too bad. I pulled out my dagger and stabbed it into the man's arm, forcing him to drop his weapon and yelp in pain. The other archer spotted me and rushed with his sword. I instinctively threw my knife at him, and the next moment, he was bleeding from the chest. Dannazione, I had killed someone. But it was self defense. It was that or die. And Flora didn't care about killing anybody. I pulled myself together and took the knife out of his body. All out of a sudden I had a strange feeling. I turned around to see the first guard I had attacked behind me, ready to stab. I kicked him and the guard started rolling. He soon reached the roof's edge and fell down. That's two. Two people dead. Two men who did what they were told to and just lost their lives for it.

I looked down to the street and noticed Flora surrounded by Brutes, and even a Papal guard. I sighed and calmed myself. It's nececcary. To save someone, somebody else has to die. That's the way of life.

I jumped into a conveniently placed pile of leaves and walked up to a Seeker. I was trembling. I grasped the blade in my hand. And I stabbed. Before the guard could react, he had three, bloody holes in his face.

Another soldier turned around to look at the new attacker, but Flora took advantage of his moment of weakness and stabbed him in the back of his head. Two down, two to go.

A brute tried to use some kind of a spin-attack, but I crouched and pushed my blade through the man's armor, into his ribs. I had killed four already. The last man was fighting Flora, both were equal. Papal bastardi.

All out of a sudden the guard turned and sliced my hand. Blood sprayed everywhere. I started to black out from shock, as one of my fingers was laying on the pavement. The gigantic soldier backed away from Flora, leaving me between them. He readied his sword for the final blow, when the Assassin used her crossbow. A perfect shot. The guard screamed in pain, but Flora did not let him suffer and sliced his neck as well.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Bastardi took my finger."

"When by any means you would become an assassin, you wouldn't have anything to make the assassin seal on."

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"Are you sure you want to come?"

"I guess so. I mean, the safehouse is too far away to get there in time, before nightfall."

I pulled myself onto horse and Flora did the same. The horses started galloping.

***10 minutes later***

We entered an unnoticable building which was full of white-hooded men and a few women, too.

As reached the end of a corridor a bearded man came out. He seemed heavily armed and wore a white robe.

"Flora! Who is this?" he asked.

"A thief I found. He might be fit to join the brotherhood."

"Uhh... what?" was my only reaction.

"He is pretty good at climbing, picks pockets cleanly and he's killed four men."

"It was self-defense!" I shout, a bit ashamed of myself.

"A kill is a kill," the Grand Master says, "Flora, you can train him if you want. I'm busy."

What? Busy? That's weird.

"I do actually. I mean, it's been a long time since someone."


	3. 1,3

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, been really busy._

"So, what are we going to do?" I asked.

"Rest. If you're tired, you'll learn slower. And the sooner I'm rid of you, the better for me."

"Hmph. What did I ever do to you?"

"For instance you… umm…"

"Saved your life?"

"I was doing just fine."

"You know that's not true."

"Goodbye. You room is on the right. And don't dare to sneak into my room."

"Why'd I do that?"

"Because of my previous occupation."

"…Right," I add and enter my room. It has a bed, a chest and… that's it. All right. Could be worse. Plus, I have a window to look out of. I check the chest and unsurprisingly it contains my outfit. I decide to try it on later, as I was really tired. I don't bother with taking my clothes off, except my hat, and lay down. Wonder what La Volpe is thinking?

***Next morning***

I yawn and get up. It's going to be a difficult day. I undress, open the chest and try to figure out how the outfit goes on. I find something that looks like pants and pull them on. Next I put on the boots and drag the upper part onto myself. The chest also contains a bracer, a curved sword, a cinqueda and a few knives. Fortunately, I find the holsters quickly and insert the weapons. I also put on the hand-thingy, but I have no clue about how to use it.

My door opens with a squeek and I pull on the hood. I was always the sneaky type. I walk across the corridor to the room where Flora is, if I remember correctly, and raise my hand to knock, but remember what she said yesterday.

Instead I head down the corridor and hear a violent argument going on ahead.

"Che c**zo c'è di sbagliato con te?" (I'm not going to translate it ;) I hear Flora screaming.

"Ho commesso un errore (I made a mistake)," a woman answers her. I walk forward and notice a similarity between them. That must be the infamous templar Fiora Cavazza.

"Stai andando a spiare per i vostri compagni templari (You're going to spy for your templar buddies," Flora says disbelievingly.

"Devi lasciar perdere, sorella (You have to let it go, sister)," Fiora answers furiously.

Fortunately, Ezio arrives in time. No catfight this time.

"Ladies, we're on the same side. Flora, I believe her. You have someone to train today."

"Whatever you say. Follow me."

"Let's see how you beat up that dummy. However you want. I want to understand your style," she instructs.

I approach the target, drawing my cinqueda and slice the dummy's stomach wide open. Thankfully, no-one's inside explodes onto me.

"Hmm. You like the daggers. Come. Attack me."

I carefully approach her, blade drawn in front of my face to deflect incoming attacks.

"Andiamo. Attacco che ti vile ladro (Come on. Attack me you cowardly thief)!" she taunts.

I try to keep myself from making any rash moves and circle her. I stop for a second and pull out a throwing knife and throw it right past her. She flinches for a second and I do a quick stab towards her stomach. Flora nimbly dodges and unleashes a hail of attacks. I barely am able to defend myself. I attack again the moment she stops, but it's still too slow and the Assassin grabs my weapon and tosses it away. Dannazione! I grab my sword and swing it wildly towards her face. A pretty face. Ma che c***o sto pensando? She takes advantage of my state and attacks with her small sword. I dodge at the last moment and strike at her hand. The hit connects and Flora is weaponless. She tackles me and I find myself on the ground. Second later there is a blade on my throat.

"I won," she states.

"Can you get off then?" I ask, "I mean it's not that I don't like it, but I think we have more to do."

"No. It happens in real combat too. Try to get away. Escape."

All right. Brute force isn't going to solve anything here, as she has a really strong hold. I start struggling and try to get to one side. All right, gotta break rules sometimes. I headbutt her and free my hand, using it to tickle her.

"Ca**o! Stop it! Hahahahihi…"

Found the weak spot! I throw her off and sprint to the ladder. I climb up it and run towards the roof's edge, but Flora appears in my way. I continue moving and slide towards her feet, making her trip. I stand up and scale the wall. I look back behind me and notice, that she hasn't caught up yet. A bale of hay is right next to the roof. I jump towards it and somehow fall into the intended spot.

I breathe heavily from the running and combat and rest there for a second.

Hey, what's that sound? After a moment, Flora dives into the hay as well.

"Still got you. Come, we need to get back to the mainland (Sorry if I made a mistake, I have no clue wether Tiber island is really an island) There are some fancy restaurants there."

"What? You're an Assassin!"

"That doesn't mean that I can't enjoy cuisine and fine art."


	4. 2,1

_A/N: Sorry this is so short, but I really NEEDED to update. Here you go._

"You really like this kind of food?" I ask Flora.

"I do actually. It's tasty."

"A bit too salty for my taste."

"You'll get used to it."

"What are we doing here anyway? Aside from eating this," I look down towards my plate, "Fish."

"We're spyi-"

"What? Who are we spying on?"

The Assassin raises her hand and a large bang is heard. What the-? She has a gun in her sleeve? Oh yeah, we're fighting guards.

I draw my cinqueda and strike it quickly at the nearest soldier, but the man blocks. Next to me, Flora is beating up three guards at the same time. Wouldn't want to be on her bad side…

I attack all three of my assailants in a row, but instead of repeating I attack the second guard again. He is unprepared and my knife cuts through his light armor. Five men killed. One of my attackers turns his back to stab Flora, but I dispatch him with a throwing knife. I have to work my aim though, as it pierces the man's thigh and leaves him screaming on the ground.

The remaining soldier is a captain, so I switch to my sword. The man just stands there, doing nothing. Most likely trying to surprise attack me.

"Sapevo che non poteva farlo. Viltà è nel sangue! (I knew you couldn't do it. It's in your blood)"

I suck at insulting people, but somehow it works and the guard raises his sword above his head. Gosh. How can people be so stupid? I stab him in the abdomen. Six dead, one injured. Or, looking at what's Flora doing, dead.

"You all right?" I ask.

"None of your concern. I'm the leader here."

"Lei è naturalmente così stronza? (Is she naturally this bi***y)" I mutter.

"I heard that!"

"Okay. Now that we've wrecked a cafè, killed half a dozen guards and scared half of Rome, is there anyone specific we're spying on?"

"Yeah. One of Borgia's accociates. The name's Turol Stara. He should have visited the place five minutes ago."

"And?"

"Killing their bodyguards tends to scare people, doesnt it?"

"Where is he then?"

"On the way to his safehouse. Thankfully, I know where it is, so follow me."

***later***

I arrive about twenty seconds after Flora, panting.

"Nice you finally decided to show up," she marks.

"Come on, let me rest for a second."

Another twenty seconds and she's off, climbing the wall of the house. I run after her and easily scale the wall. This is simple! One hand up. Other one. Feet. Repeat.

I reach the roof's edge and pull myself up. Suddenly I slip! Merda! Merda! (S**t! S**t!)

"Flora! Help me up!"

I desperately try to grab onto anything with my feet, but nothing's there. I look down. Oops. A big effing mistake! The ground is at least twenty meters away!

I feel myself slipping and see my hand sliding over the edge.

"Caaaaa***zo!" I scream.

"I feel a hand grab me and pull me up.

I'm too ashamed to look up and mutter: "Thanks, Flora."

"Accidenti a te cazzo assassino! (You damn f*****g Assassin!)" a guard shouts and knocks me on the head with his sword's hilt.

_A/N: I admit it, I really love this kind of endings. Those that seem happy and then turn bad. Thank you for the reviews! There are an awesome lot of them!_


	5. 2,2

I slowly open my eyes. Darkness. Everywhere. I try to move my hands and discover, that they are not tied. Either the guards are plain stupid, or they are sure that the door holds. I mean, I'm trapped in what looks like a prison cell. And they most certainly have doors. I pull my hands up and wander around the room, only to step onto something soft.

"C***o, watch your step!"

That's definitely Flora.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"Vai all'inferno. (Go to hell)"

"We have to get out of here."

"I kind of figured."

I hear heavy footsteps closing in and the door squeal violently.

"Te. Puttana. Il master vuole vederti. (You. Whore. The master wants to see you)" a huge guard orders.

I raise my fist to punch him, but feel dizziness overcome me and collapse. I see the man drag Flora out of the cell.

"You'll pay for that! No-one bites me and gets away with it!" the soldier screams. I hear a clapping sound, suggesting that he slapped her.

Dannazione. I was expecting to survive for a bit longer. Falling prisoner to the Templars. That's embarassing!

I stay laying for a few minutes and feel energy return to my body. Wait a minute! My heart skips a beat. Flora bit the guard before he could lock the door! Time to get out of here.

I slowly open the door and peek around. There is one guard with his back turned and that's about it. I slowly crouch behind him and grab the man by his neck. He struggles for a while and suddenly, with a final convulsion, he stops. Eight dead. My killstreak is rising at a steady pace.

I grab the guard and drag him to a corner. Then I put on the guard's suit.

It's snug, but in the wrong places. I throw the undressed body into a corner and pick up the soldier's sword. A basic one, but it'll have to do.

I calmly walk out of the cell and follow the corridor.

"Hey! You! Where do you think you're going? Your shift is not over!" a man shouts.

"It is over. You must be mistaking me for somebody," I answer.

"Now that I look closer, yes, you're not the one. Go on."

I stroll forward and soon find a door with a sign saying: "Per non essere disturbato (not to be disturbed)"

Could that be the one Flora is in? I push the door forward and thankfully, it opens. What I see next shocks me: Flora is on the floor, thankfully dressed, pleading and a fat man, possibly Turol.

"Shut up, b***h. I'm gonna f**k you!" the man exclaims.

I raise my sword above my head and disgustedly say: "And I'm going to f**k you. Not literally of course."

The Templar turns around and is greeted by my sword under his nose.

"Don't kill me! I've got a wife and children! I'll give you anything!" the bastardo pleads.

"The only thing I want is your life. Requiescat in pace."

With that I slice open his neck. Blood sprays across my face.

"Let me help you," the woman says and wipes most of the blood away. I shiver from the Assassin's touch. Oh god damn it, I'm falling for her.

"Let's go," I order.

"I'm the Assassin, you're the Apprentice, remember."

"You're in lead, just like always."

We open the door and sprint out of the room. I see a guard up ahead and grab Flora by her wrists.

"Turol already got what he wanted?" the man asks.

I nod and drag her forward. We get to about 10 meters from him before the guard discovers, that I'm taking her in the wrong direction.

"Hey, you stop!"

I let go of Flora and start running. She keeps up with me and even passes me. I see the door straight ahead. The Assassin accelerates even more, prompting me to follow.

We reach it and smash against the door, but it doesn't budge. I see a whole army of guards approaching.

"Ready?" I ask Flora.

"Ready when you are."

_A/N: Come on, REVIEW! Just one more till the first milestone (AKA 10 reviews)_


	6. 2,3

_A/N: Decided to upload a new chapter. Be sure to give feedback about the An- Oh yeah, you have not read it yet._

My killstreak is raising at a steady pace, indeed.

"24!" I answer Flora.

"Total or this battle?" she asks.

"Total. You? This battle only," I question her.

"18. Beat you," she notes a bit too happily for a supposedly experienced Assassin.

I continue scaling the tower.

"Are we going to report to the Grand Master?" I ask.

"Si."

I pull myself up onto the tower's roof.

"Nice view. Too bad about those bodies down there," I mark.

"Yeah. They fell out of the door when I opened it. You can't fit… 34 dead people into a single corridor," Flora jokes.

"Anyway. What are we doing up here?" I ask.

"Surveying the city," she answers.

"All right. You watch the city, I'll lay down for a while. You don't kill twenty people every day."

"Tired already? All right," she accepts.

I shut my eyes and feel the warm sunshine crawling across me.

I run. Just run. I don't know who's chasing me, but I feel a man following myself. I suddenly reach a street corner. Having no idea what street, or even what city I'm in, I try to blend in woth the crowd, but they all move away from me. I look closer and notice that they do not have faces! Just bland skin… I turn around, ready to be killed by the mysterious man, but there's nobody. What? Where are you! I spin around, searching for the assailant.

The picture changes out of a sudden and shows a weird room. There are three weirdly dressed people in the middle of it. One is a woman, wearing men's clothes. Lady, where is your skirt? Why are you wearing pants and a shirt with cut sleeves? There is a rather tall man next to her with crossed arms. In the middle there's another man, who bears a striking similarity to me. Even his clothing is relatively similar, though his outfit looks like it's made out of two parts.

The guy in the middle turns around and lays down on something that looks like a red bed.

"Do you want to skip forward a bit?" the woman asks.

"Okay. Maybe about two weeks?"

He is then injected with a syringe and seems to fall unconscius.

I wake up all out of a sudden. I yawn and scratch my head. That was definitely strange. There is a knock on the door. Wait, wait, what? What door? Last I remember I was on a rooftop. That looks like my room. And I can bet that Flora didn't carry me. Unless… that time-skip thing she said worked? I shake my head and open the door.

"Buongiorno," I greet.

"Let's get straight to business. The Grand Master wants us to accompany him on his trip to Monteriggioni. Something about looking what's left of it. He used to live there for a long time," Flora says.

"When are we going?"

"Tomorrow."

"I'll go and have fun in the city," I say with a smirk.

"Try not to party too much."

"You know me…" With that I go past her and walk out of the door.

"Nice morning to you," I greet an Assassin standing on guard nearby. He looks happy.

"Want me to come along?" he asks.

"Yeah. Sure!" That was unexpected. I've never seen nor talked to him before, unless I just don't remember… It looks like I really skipped two weeks in time. But what did I do?

I push open the door exit the building. The other guy is following me. What's his name? It would be awkward to ask, so I just leave it alone.

"So, where are you planning to go?"

"I do not know… maybe the market?"

"Suits me."

I sprint forward and dive into the Tiber. After a few pulls I'm on the other side, sprinting up the side of a building.

I sit down to rest for a second. The Assassin sits next to me.

"So, how is Flora personally?"

"What? Why do you ask?"

"I mean you're partners with her and everything…"

"Just that."

"So you have not… you know…"

"NO, of course not! I'm not sure we're even friends!"

"Okay, calm down, it was just a question."

My thoughts are moving rapidly: what if I'm romantically interested her but don't remember it? If I try to make a move on her, she's gonna be pissed if we do not have anything going on. But if we do and I ignore her? I'm in trouble…

_A/N: About the Animus... that a good idea? Review! On another note, we reached the first milestone! YAY! And guess who is to be thanked? You! Keep up the good work._


	7. 3,1

_A/N: Sorry, another short one. But I kind of hit a block there. So, enjoy! (Anybody thinking about reviewing? Last chapter had none. And I want to keep my review/chapter ratio positive ;D)_

No. There's nothing between us. That's what I think at least.

"What are you thinking about?" the Assassin asks. I have to do this.

"What exactly your name was?"

"You do not remember?"

"No…"

"I ain't going to tell you either."

That's a bummer. All right.

"So, nameless guy, now that we've gotten to the market, where are we going?"

"Absent-minded rookie, we are going to a special place. La Rosa in Fiora."

Oh no! A damn brothel?

"I'm not exactly comfortable with this…"

"Aw come on! It's my favorite!" the guy agitates.

"All right, all right. But I'm not paying."

"Don't worry. I'm rich enough. Here!" He walks up to me and gives me a few coins. I count them and find out that I'm 300 florins richer. Nice! But what's going to happen next… not so much.

We run through the streets, occasionally pushing people out of the way, and finally reach a big, red house.

"We're here." the Assassin informs me.

I open the door and am greeted by a quite good-looking woman.

"Did Ezio send you?" she asks.

"Ezio? The Grand Master?"

"Si. Did he send you?"

"No. I came here on my own will."

I get a headache and the world starts turning around me. Dizzy… I feel like I'm going to puke, but the turning stops, and I stare into a bright spot on the ceiling. I feel someone graze me and start doing something to my stomach. Heeeeelllppp! I find myself on the same bed I saw a man lay on in my dream. And, it looks like it's the same room. I look down and see myself wearing the same clothes as the man in my dream. The one that resembled me. Wait, IT IS ME! Creepy.

"John, you've been in the Animus for a while. Want to take a break?" a red-headed woman says. I remember her too!

"I guess I do," I answer. What the hell is an Animus, by the way? I do not show out my confusion though, and march up to what looks like a black painting.

"TV. Something more original next time? You're an Assassin, after all," a man comments.

I stare dumbly at the painting. Too dumbly, I guess, because the woman walks up to the thing and touches it. It starts shining and a man appears, talking. I poke the masterpiece with my fingers, causing the man to agitate: "What the hell? Is the Animus causing mental degeneration in you?"

„I´m sorry, but I just got here."

„What do you mean?"

„I have lived all my life in Italy, and now I have to watch some moving paintings?"

„Shit. Something´s VERY wrong…" the woman exclaims.


	8. 3,2

_A/N: Sorry if you got here with a chapter alert, just go read the first 2 chaps, they're updated. I just accidentally deleted all the chapters :P  
_

It takes me a moment to understand the absurdity of the situation. I´m in the future? If that´s future, with all the shining lights and bright white stone walls, then I´d prefer to stay in my age.

"Get back in the Animus. The sooner, the better. Maybe we can still save him!" the woman shouts.

"Save who?" I ask.

"The man who… I don't know, it's hard to explain. But he's in your bloodline. He is your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson." That certainly made me dizzy…

"So, to save him I have to find him and put him to sleep?"

"The non-lethal way, preferably. What the hell am I saying? Just get him back, okay?"

"All right. But I need to get this over with before tomorrow, I have a trip to Monteriggioni."

"This is serious! There might be unforeseen consequences!"

"Okay-okay. I'll go."

I lay down on the red bed-thingy and am injected with the syringe. After a disorientingly bright flash of light, I find myself in a bedroom, lying on a bed. What the hell? Did I do it with the courtesan? I don't remember it. But, just like asked, a red-dressed woman walks in the door.

"Right here, " she says to an unseen man, who is most likely behind the corner.

She walks in and then jumps in surprise.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Sorry for interrupting! Arrivederci!"

I leap out of the bed. I find myself dressed, so I charge past both of them. There is a flight of stairs in front of me. I run down the first few steps and then vault the railing. The people look shocked, an Assassin crazily running around a brothel tends to scare people, and finally (!) I'm outside, back on the streets of Rome. Stained with blood and hundreds of years of warfare. What am I thinking about? I have to get to Monteriggioni!

Thankfully, a lone guard is riding past me on a horse. I grab a throwing knife and throw it into his right eye. Not intentionally, I was intending to just injure him, but…

I jump on the horse, push my feet into his sides and gallop forward. The people seem to fly past me. I encourage the horse to go faster. I hear guard chatter ahead, but decide to ignore it. What could they do? I guess I'll find out soon enough. That John-guy is most likely on the way with Flora and Ezio. Now that I think of it, there must have been another time-skip, and he must have found himself in the morning, on the Tiber Island. That's where I would have gone. And I must have disappeared and reappeared on the courtesan's bed…

The guard's spot me galloping past them and start shouting and drawing their swords. About five seconds after passing the guard post I hear horse soldiers approaching. The chase has begun… All out of a sudden I feel the horse slowing down. I understand, it must be tired after galloping for 10 minutes straight, but this is not the time!

"Don't give up on me! Horsie! Not now!" I shout into it's ear. As he understood, it unleashes a final burst of speed before slowing down into a trot. I look back to see the guards closing in. Time to try out a new manuever…

A horse-guard rides towards me with a sword drawn, ready to cut my head off. I draw a throwing knife and haul it towards the place where he'll be in a second. The knife narrowly misses though and I throw another straight behind me. This time, the knife hits and I sidestep with the horse. As the now deceaced rider and his ride pass, I jump onto the guard's horse. After a few tense seconds I land succesfully. Woohoo! I did it! I pump my fist into the air and urge the horse to speed up.

Another guard rides towards me from the front. Another throwing knife thrown, another soldier dead. Was it twenty six? I don't remember anymore. Plus, I may have killed someone in the two weeks that were fast-forwarded. This time, an assailant comes from the side. He comes out of a side alley and aligns his horse with mine. As the guard and I are side-to-side, I draw my sword and make a quick strike, which is unfortunately blocked by the soldier. He then attacks, but I force his sword to the side and stab him through the chest. I hijack his horse as mine is becoming tired and soon after reach the city gates.

When the nearest guard is a two away, I jump off my horse, onto him. I stand up and kick him where it hurts. Another attacker approaches from behind. I hear him scream and feel wind rushing. I survive only thanks to my reflexes. They have certainly improved. A quick crouch-dodge, a stab to the stomach, and the guard is dead. I look around and see Flora, the Grand Master and what-was-his-name coming from where I came from.


	9. 4,1

_A/N: Hey everybody, I was taking a break, but there's some good news too! As AC: Brotherhood is now out for the PC, I can finally play it. And it's like one of the best games I've ever played. Go pick it up right now. It's fantastic._

"We were so worried!" Flora shouts, jumps off her horse and hugs me.

"Nice to see you too. Did he, what-his-name-was again, John, tell you about the future stuff?" I ask.

"Yup. Though I didn't QUITE understand everything he said…" she replies.

"I'm back now." I walk up to John and tell him to go back to Rome, to the Assassin hideout and take a nap, as it's the only way back to his world.

"All right… I'll go. Be careful, Ancestor."

"You too." Is it just me, or "Ancestor" sounded like a title? Doesn't matter. I take a horse from behind the city gates and wait until Flora and the Grand Master catch up.

"How's future?" asks Flora, laughing.

"Weird. They've got big black paintings that start moving when touched and there was one woman there, getting mail as she said. Shouldn't there be some messenger? The guy that brings the message? But no, she just had the letters on her painting."

"Creepy stuff," is Flora's opinion, "Have you been to the brothel lately?"

"What?" I'm sincerely surprised.

"You know, you got that smell."

"One Assassin dragged me there. Can't remember his name though."

"Mario? The one one with a big "M" on his chest and wears red all the time?"

"No. One young guy, wears green. Not much else I remember. And has a lot of money to spare."

"Luigi?"

"I guess so…"

"Maybe we should get going," the Grand Master interrupts.

The three of us mount our horses and start moving in a speedy gallop.

*Two hours later*

I can see the city of Monteriggioni in all it's glory stand in front of us. It may be broken and smashed up by the Templars, sure, but it still looks nice. Better than Rome with all of it's Borgia towers and flags. Speaking of which, I now notice a bull banner on top of the gate.

"Figlio di una cagna (son of a b*tch)," I mutter.

"Who?" asks Flora.

"Look," waves Ezio his hand at the flag.

"Stiamo andando a riprenderselo. Siamo noi, gran maestro? (We're going to take it back. Are we, grand master?)" replies the female Assassin.

"We are. But there's three of us and a lot of them." worries Ezio.

"You invaded the Vatican, alone, and almost killed the Pope! And now we just have a village to take. Shouldn't be too hard." Flora reminds.

"What's the plan?" I ask.

"It's simple. You, assistente, climb over the wall, scout out the opposition, and return. Then we follow and kill everyone."

"Wait, I got promoted?" I ask, disbelievingly.

"Even by two ranks. You should be proud, you skipped servitore. Just thought that I'd make you happy before sending you to death." the Grand Master half-jokes.

"Not funny," I say dryly.

"Not yours to comment," he replies, effectively ending the conversation.

To work. I find myself happy for the first time for the lack of a sword or a crossbow. Okay, maybe not for the hidden blade, but they would slow me down greatly. I think that as I jog towards the villa's walls. Here we go! I wallrun up and hang from one of the wall's many fractures. They are conveniently placed, letting me climb over the edge easily without having to change my position horisontally.

I look both ways and see a lone crossbow patrol about 10 meters ahead of me. Off to business. I pull out my knife and silently walk behind the guard, fast enough to catch up, slow enough to not attract attention. Come on, you can do it! I grab the soldier by the chest with my right hand and raise my left hand, the one with the dagger, in front of his throat. I pull the hand towards me and to the right and feel the warm, sticky blood start flowing. I don't even remember how many I've killed. I take a glance at the city streets and find them completely empty.

Hopping from one building to another I finally reach the courtyard, the one with the Assassin fountain. There I finally see the opposition: about five Papals and ten regular city guards. Okay, five for each of us, not too bad.

I observe them for a few minutes. Looks like they're expecting something… they're just standing there in formation, doing nothing. Something doesn't feel right… I turn around, paranoidly and find there a Papal, ready to shoot me.

As in slow-motion, I see his finger pressing the trigger and hear the bang. I throw myself to the left, attempting to dodge behind a chimney, but fail and because of the diagonal roof roll over the edge. I manage to grab hold of it with one hand. The huge soldier comes to me and steps on my fingers.

I find myself falling backwards, to the street. After less than a second I'm laying there on my back. The giant dude also jumps down and draws his sword, sadistically laughing. I blindly move my hand and luckily catch my throwing knives. Gotta aim for their eyes… Simply because of luck I'm at a good enough angle and my knife goes straight into the view-hole. The soldato is caught in shock and without screaming, he crumples to the ground.

Whooh. I survived. Though my fingers hurt like hell. Wait, I had to report back to the others! I start running, this time paying attention to my surroundings.

A few minutes later I'm back over the wall, explaining the situation to my allies. We all agree: we gotta take 'em head on, five for each. Can't be that hard. I get one Papal and four regulars, the others get one less normal guard and another elite of the Papacy. We start moving trough the streets in a slow, but sure manner. The enemy soldiers are now alert, most likely the gunshot tipped him off and they start appearing behind and on our sides. In other words, from the side alleys. We finally reach the town square and the three of us draw our weapons. Me and my dagger, Flora with her sword and Ezio with his dual blades.

"Vittoria agli Assassini!" (victory to the Assassins) I shout and charge, the others doing the same. The patrol guards I am attacking scatter and then proceed to hold the distance. One of them attacks with a slow move that I without much effort push to the side and follow up with a quick stab to the abdomen. I run from guard to guard and somehow get into a chain of killing, soldiers falling around me. Flora and Ezio are doing the same, there are more soldati than I initially saw. Looks like it's going to be a busy afternoon.

Half an hour later, we're all covered in gore. The last of the Borgia are moving in, though scared. The three of us are in a pyramid formation, each covering one side.

"Hope it'll be over soon, my leg is cut. And my right hand," I complain.

Nobody answers. I see one heavily armored guard walk towards me, with determination in his stance.

I move away from the others. The Brute follows. I take a defensive position, ready to dodge at the slightest sign of attack.

Soon he does what I expected, a sweep with his axe. A really big axe. I crouch and attempt a stab at his feet. Attempt, as despite his heavy armor he manages to avoid my attack.

What's the best way to deal with those dudes? What did Ezio do? Time to try it out.

I sheathe my knife and stand against him, armed with only my fists. He does a fairly quick slice and somehow I manage to grab his weapon, drag it out of his hands, turn it around and hit him in the head with it.

Damn it, it's stuck. I pull with all my strength and use one foot to hold his head back and get the axe out. I holster it, because it looks awesome and a dagger doesn't match up to a sword in battle. I look the other way and see all the Borgia dead.

"Wait here. I'm gonna signal the others," orders the Grand Master.

We could have had the help all the time? Damn him!


	10. 5,1

_A/N: What? Last update was three months ago? I CERTAINLY have to update. Here you go :)_

"Remind me again why we agreed to do this?" I ask Flora, tired.

"We need to poison one of the Borgia's associates," she answers.

"And why must that criminal mastermind have to live in another city!"

"Come on! Don't tell me you're tired already. I used to go on contracts in London. Now that was far."

"Let's just find the stables. Should be a ride going from there to Florence."

"How much was it again?" she asks.

"1000 florins per head."

"Glad we don't have to pay," the assassin smiles.

"How so?"

"Let's just say that yesterday was bloody for the city guard."

I smirk at the remark. "As far as they don't catch you, it's fine by me. Besides, my killcount is getting low lately."

"I remember when you were shocked at the sight of blood."

"Shocked? Nah. Disgusted."

"It's been what, six months, since I found you on that rooftop. You should be glad I saved you."

"I would just have stabbed him a second later."

"Right…"

We walk trough the crowd, towards the city walls. I feel someone bump into me, not even apologising, and then start to move away quickly.

"Hey! You!" I shout and start sprinting after him. The crowd is dense so I have to shove people out of the way in order to keep up. Thankfully, he needs to too and is slowed down.

After a few minutes of tense chase trough the hordes of people he tries to lose me by dodging into a side alley. I follow, almost hitting a wall with my elbow and arrive just in time to see him climbing up a ladder. Why can't anyone climb ladders normally? I mean, just hold it by the bars not the sides! Though it is kind of slower.

I continue up the ladder as fast as I can. I suddenly slip and am left hanging with one hand. I look down and that's a mistake. No, not because I'd be scared of heights, but because of the three guards standing down there. Cr*p…

I regain my balance and pull myself over the roof's edge. The thief is not far away, just on the next building. That's why I took the crossbow for. I aim it carefully at him and pull the trigger. I see the arrow flying trough the air at a fast speed and hitting him in the left foot. Gotcha! I run up to him and take my pouch back and all the other wallets too.

"See ya later, brother," I laugh and punch him so he trips over the roof's edge, into a bale of hay. I have no idea why there are so many safe landing spots around the city. There were a lot less before the incident at the market.

Oh yeah, the guards. I turn around, unsheathing my axe. One of them, a captain is the closest to me. He was apparently trying to sneak up to me.

"Bad idea, buddy."

I throw a large arc with the axe and the head of it hits him straight in the face. I pull it out and send him flying backwards with a kick. The other two are moving side-to-side towards me. That's why I upgraded. I put my hands onto their heads and pull the triggers. Double hidden pistols sure are useful. The result is pretty gruesome as both heads have a huge hole in them.

Flora catches up: "Great. Now we've certainly missed the carriage."

"Don't cry," I joke.

"Bastard," she playfully replies.

*November 2012*

John rises from the Animus.

"Long time you haven't been in there," comments the woman, Kate.

"Yup. After that time we got mixed up I haven't been exactly in the mood."

"Those hallucinations must have been terrible. But we still gotta continue. The templars might knock down our door any minute. Especially after that failure with the other crew."

"The one researching Ezio Auditore?"

"Yeah. Poor people. Abstergo got 'em. We will get them back, but first we have to finish their job. Go get some rest. Tomorrow will be big."


End file.
